Big donations: That's the ticket; Bundling, giving pay off; At least 15 from state shell out $50,000 each to Obama inauguration.
| Byline: Sanjay Bhatt; Seattle Times staff reporter Technology executives and other wealthy individuals from Washington state have donated do·nate v. do·nat·ed, do·nat·ing, do·nates v.tr. To present as a gift to a fund or cause; contribute. v.intr. To make a contribution to a fund or cause. more than $1.1 million to a committee overseeing President-elect Obama's inauguration INAUGURATION. This word was applied by the Romans to the ceremony of dedicating some temple, or raising some man to the priesthood, after the augurs had been consulted. It was afterwards applied to the installation (q.v. Jan. 20. In return for their $50,000 donations, the affluent each get four "preferred" tickets to the swearing-in, the parade and the balls, along with two tickets to VIP galas, dinners and receptions. So-called bundlers -- people who help raise up to $300,000 from other donors for the committee -- get four tickets to official inaugural events and four to the VIP events. As of Tuesday, the Presidential Inaugural Committee reported more than $27 million in total donations from individuals, just more than half of what it hopes to raise for the inauguration events. |
Rob Glaser, chief executive officer of RealNetworks, is one of at least 15 Washington residents who have donated $50,000 -- the maximum individual contribution the committee allows. Glaser said he is taking his mother, Barbara, and father, Jules, to the inauguration.
"For my family the event is a happy bookend," Glaser wrote in an e-mail. "Over 40 years ago, my Mom went to see Dr. Martin Luther King speak at a rally in Washington, D.C. ... I'm very proud of how far our country has come over the past 40 years and delighted to have the chance to be part of history."
Michael Parham, a RealNetworks attorney, organized a group of individuals to donate $300,000 to the committee, one of five bundlers in Washington. Parham couldn't be reached for comment.
Suzi LeVine, a former Expedia executive and founder of Kavana, a Jewish community group based in Queen Anne, has helped raise $245,000 in donations for the inaugural committee.
LeVine, who was an Obama delegate A person who is appointed, authorized, delegated, or commissioned to act in the place of another. Transfer of authority from one to another. A person to whom affairs are committed by another.
A person elected or appointed to be a member of a representative assembly. at the Democratic National Convention, said she was in Chicago's Grant Park on Election Night and will be in D.C. for the inauguration.
"For me personally, it is being able to contribute to putting this country back on track," she said.
Several Microsoft executives, including Chief Executive Officer Steve Ballmer, and their spouses have given at least $200,000 collectively to the committee. According to a Microsoft spokeswoman, those donating are doing so on their own, not on behalf of the corporation.
The committee's list of donors says Bill and Melinda Gates gave $50,000 each. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation said the donations weren't made on its behalf and wouldn't comment on whether the Gateses would attend the event.
Shannon Gilson, a spokeswoman for the inaugural committee, said it had imposed "some of the most stringent restrictions on fundraising
- "Contributions" redirects here. For information about the Wikipedia user contributions log, see .
The committee said that, unlike previous inaugurations, it is not accepting money from corporations, unions or federal lobbyists. Only individuals who are U.S. citizens can donate.
Seattle glass artist Dale Chihuly Dale Patrick Chihuly (b. September 20, 1941 in Tacoma, Washington, U.S.) is an American glass sculptor. Biography
Chihuly graduated from high school in Tacoma. Supported by his mother, after his brother George's death in a flight-training accident in Florida and his , who also donated $50,000, said through a spokeswoman that he and his family plan to be at the inauguration because it "will be one of the most significant historical events of our time."
John Vechey, 30, chief executive officer of Seattle-based PopCap Games PopCap Games is an casual gaming developer and publisher, based in Seattle, Washington, United States. PopCap Games was founded in 2000 by John Vechey, Brian Fiete and Jason Kapalka. It currently employs just under 100 people. , said he donated $50,000 because he wanted his 15-year-old brother, Ian, and 12-year-old sister, Josey, to experience the event.
"Hopefully it will mean something to them for the rest of their lives," Vechey said.
Sanjay Bhatt: 206-464-3103 or sbhatt@seattletimes.com
Some of the big donors from Washington state
Presidential Inaugural Committee 2009 has raised more than $27 million
Steve Ballmer: chief executive officer, Microsoft, $100,000*
Matthew Bergman: trial lawyer, $50,000
Bruce Blume: commercial real-estate developer A real estate developer (American English) or property developer (British English) makes improvements of some kind to real property, thereby increasing its value. In legal form the developer may be an individual, but is more often a partnership, limited liability company or , $50,000
Dale Chihuly: artist, $50,000
Bill and Melinda Gates: co-chairs, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, $100,000
Robert Glaser Robert Glaser is an American educational psychologist, who has made significant contributions to theories of learning and instruction. His scholarship has been recognized by several awards including the American Educational Research Association Presidential Citation Award (2003), : chief executive officer, RealNetworks, $50,000
* includes $50,000 donation from spouse
Source: Presidential Inaugural Committee 2009
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